Key priorities approved to restore trust

It was the last FIFA Executive Committee of its kind and the first chaired by new FIFA President Gianni Infantino.On 9 and 10 May 2016, the new FIFA Council will convene for the first time ahead of the ordinary FIFA Congress in Mexico City.During the meeting, the President presented his road map for restoring trust in FIFA, which he initiated on his first day in office. Key elements include: optimising FIFA’s administration, enhancing and modernising football development efforts, renewing the focus on women’s football, and engaging with FIFA’s commercial partners. “Today ends my third week as FIFA’s President. I’ve been tremendously energised by what I have seen, heard and experienced over the last 21 days. Football is at the heart of FIFA and this is reflected in all of our priorities set for the coming months. “The Executive Committee decisions this week ensure that we now move from words to actions. I am sure that with the measures in place, and those to be rolled out in the near-term, we can not only restore FIFA’s image but also ensure that the world will be proud of FIFA,” said FIFA President Infantino. Putting the reforms into effectA new recruitment policy for FIFA staff will be established with a focus on diversity and gender equality. In addition, exchange programmes with member associations and confederations will be introduced to build upon FIFA’s knowledge transfer process. Furthermore, the deadline to elect the new additional Council members was set as 30 September 2016 at the latest, in accordance with the FIFA Statutes and the Governance Regulations. Support for Request for RestitutionThe Executive Committee also expressed its support for the Request for Restitution made by FIFA on Wednesday to reclaim funds diverted from the football community from those defendants who have been convicted. New financial targets setOn day one of the meeting, the Executive Committee approved FIFA’s Financial and Governance Report 2015. The report reflects the spirit of the reforms approved at the Extraordinary Congress in February by its greater transparency, particularly regarding the disclosure of the compensation of committee members and key management personnel. Furthermore, new financial targets have been set to meet FIFA’s adjusted priorities, especially for football development, while the organisation will continue to look at ways to further optimise its budget.FIFA Confederations Cup 2017 and 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™The Executive Committee ratified the assignment of kick-off times to the respective matches for the 2018 FIFA World Cup™ and the FIFA Confederations Cup. The Executive Committee also welcomed the progress made in the preparation for the two major football events in Russia.IFAB mattersFollowing the recent decision by The IFAB to allow experimentation with a fourth substitution in extra time, the FIFA Executive Committee agreed for such experiments to be conducted this year at the Olympic Football Tournaments, the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Papua New Guinea and the FIFA Club World Cup Japan. Medical equipment for Papua New GuineaWith regards to the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Papua New Guinea 2016, the Executive Committee decided to provide the LOC with additional medical equipment which, after the competition, will be distributed to the regional football associations to help to improve the medical care of football players.Women’s international match calendarThe international match calendar for 2017 was approved.Solidarity fundFIFA will support the Dominica Football Association and the Fiji Football Association in reconstructing the footballing infrastructure that was severely damaged by tropical storms.Story courtesy of FIFA. For more on the world game visit www.fifa.com